Meeting a Stranger
by Soumyee
Summary: We meet a million strangers in our lives. Some of them turn from strangers to friends, some of them we never meet again. In the currents of life, two strangers are brought together, and a story is made.
1. Boy Meets Girl

**_Disclaimer:_** _I don't think anyone believes that I own Ranma 1/2... ToT_

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_**Train Wreck  
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Soft music blew in his ears and pink and white confetti rained down from all sides. Ranma puffed and blew a lock of hair away from his nose. He scratched his neck uncomfortably. He was in a suit; he _hated_ suits. They were stuffy, itchy and mandatory at weddings. And he _hated _weddings. They were so _pink!_ Pink was not a manly color at all!

He frowned as he waded through a crowd of chattering guests and made his way towards the buffet arranged in a luxurious arc at the front of the ridiculous pink tent that had been set up for the wedding reception. Food was the only high point of weddings, yeah!

A tittering girl in a pink and white frilly dress bumped into him. She bounced off his hard-as-rock chest and losing her balance on those ridiculously high pink heels, she toppled over. Something glittery rolled down from her head and dropped into the ornamental fountain next to them. Her super long train snagged on her heel and—

*RRIIIPPP*

Wait, train? Oh no, train… TRAIN… Only the bride was supposed to have a train…

Every head in the tent turned to stare at him. The bride goggled at her ruined train and her lip quivered. The groom, he assumed it was the groom or else it would be scandalous, rushed to her side and hugged her, murmuring softly to her in a hopefully soothing voice. Ranma fidgeted and took a step away from them, hoping to escape the limelight.

Avoiding all gazes, he turned to flee, and a firm hand shoved against his chest, freezing him in his tracks. He gulped, and looked up, and he saw _her._

**...**

_**When Pigs Bite  
**_

_She_ had soft short dark hair, which shone blue wherever the light caught it. Her eyes were brown, the color of rich melted chocolate. Her lips were painted a beautiful red, and he had never loved the color red more. Red was his favorite color.

She was smiling at him, her head tilted to the side and her hair slid off her neck to give him a glimpse of the soft white skin there. He felt something throb in his chest and he so badly wanted to reach out and touch her. She opened her mouth to say something, but the world had oddly turned into marshmallow, for he had difficulty hearing, or moving, or doing anything other than staring.

Slowly, moving nothing like the superfast martial artist that he was, he fished out his cell phone and held it up till the camera lens focused on her. He pressed a button, and it started recording live.

He watched as she bent her head down and it was only then that he noticed the little black pig in her arms. She put her mouth close to its stubby ears and whispered something, and Ranma felt a screeching bolt of jealousy towards the pig.

Involuntarily, his hand reached forward to snatch the pig away from her, when both girl and pig looked up and locked their eyes straight onto his. And a different kind of bolt ran down his spine. The girl grinned suddenly, and he noticed a full mouth of teeth. Which were nothing compared to the view the pig's mouth presented him.

Ranma Saotome, had faced down inhumanly fast and strong martial opponents in his life and lived to tell the tale. For the first time in his life, he knew the humiliation – and the pain – of being bitten on the rump.

Pursued by sharp teeth, the best martial artist of Nerima, made a mad dash to the exit.

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_So this started out as another piece for my fanfic Neriman Days, but it turned out to be so sooo wordy, that it needed to be made into it's own fic... =.="_

_I hope this one doesn't get stuck like my other stories... :D  
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_Please read and review! ^o^  
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	2. See You Again

**_Disclaimer: _**_I own all manga volumes and anime episodes... But, sadly, that's all... ToT _

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_**Accidentally, in the Park  
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_Four months later… Upon the deserted, sand dunes of the Great Sahara…_

_Just kidding about the Sahara... :D_

Punch! Kick! Feint to the left! Scissor kick! Duck and roll!

He flew through the forms of the _kata_ faster than eyes could blink, letting his spirit soar with him into the skies. Sweat pooled on his skin, and fire burned through his veins. Blood pounded away like mad in his ears, and he felt free, exhilarated… He was in his element!

Not far away, a girl in jogging shorts and T-shirt, with a towel slung around her neck, paused to look at the spectacle. It was a breathtaking sight, and she edged closer to the park where he was practicing. Spotting a bench a few yards away from where he was, she proceeded to sit down and wait for him to finish.

She looked over at a canvas bag lying on the other end of the bench, and noticed a bottle of water next to it. Leaning over, she grabbed the bottle and proceeded to chug down great gulps of the refreshing water, without a care as to whose water she may be draining.

Ranma ended his _kata_ with a hammer fist and heaved a huge breath. He wiped his forehead free of sweat and ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair.

"Water?"

He whipped around at the sudden sound of the voice, and his eyes locked on a short-haired girl sitting not too far away on a bench, holding out his own water bottle at him. He gasped, "YOU!"

**...**

_**Let's Chat**_**  
**

She started in shock. "YOU?"

They both stilled and stared at each other. A ghost of a bite on the rump came to haunt Ranma with a tingly feeling, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"You set your pig on me!"

"You ruined my friend's wedding dress!"

"_She_ bumped into me! It wasn't my fault!"

"Oh please! You're a martial artist, couldn't you have caught her and stopped her from falling?"

"Oh well, I don't make it a business to save every damsel in distress in pink frilly overlong dresses and ridiculously high heels! _And,_ that's my own water bottle you're pointing at me! Don't you have the manners to ask before drinking from it?"

"It's a martial artist's duty to save anyone they can, you coward! _And,_ I was thirsty. A little water lost to a pretty girl is not going to kill you."

"Heh! I don't see any pretty girls here. Just a piggy little tomboy sitting on a bench!"

"YOU JERK! Stranger-_no-baka! _And here I thought I could talk to you!"

"Wait— You wanted to talk to me? What about?" A sudden feeling gripped his heart, reminiscent of the strange feeling at that disastrous wedding four months ago.

She turned to him with a frown, and on a sudden impulse she smiled her sweetest smile. "Nothing much really, just wanted to know if we could maybe chat sometime?"

"Y-you want to meet up with me?"

"Ah, no… What I meant was, like online? You know… Here, do you have your cell phone?"

He nodded, noting how the world had turned marshmallow-ish again, and motioned to his backpack lying on the bench. He walked over to it and fished out his cell phone and handed it to her.

She typed in a web link and handed it back to him with a salesgirl smile. "Just navigate to this link, and you'll see!"

"Uh, yeah…" He slurred out, already too drunk on her smile.

"So, I have to leave now, see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…"

**...**

**_Mean Li'l Witch_**

That evening, he sat in a café, his heart clenching in anticipation, and typed in the URL. He waited as a progress bar appeared, loading the contents of the page. The page finished loading and a small embedded video screen appeared. He frowned; she hadn't looked like the type who would send videos of herself to strangers.

Uncertainly, he clicked on "Play". On the screen, a little black pig chased at the heels of a running pig-tailed man, as a crowd of people around them clutched their stomachs with laughter.

Narrowing his eyes, he watched as a message popped up at the end of the video, "Winner of funniest video award in the Nerima prefecture."

'_Oh,'_ he thought, _'she is one mean little witch!'_

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_Please review... *puppy eyes with shiny shiny dots*_


	3. The Best Man Among Men

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I will die before I speak the heartbreaking words!_

_...*Dies of poverty after paying the fine*_

_Okay, I think I should tell you by now that no one in this series is cursed. So the pet pig in the second chapter is not Ryoga. :D  
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**__****A Damsel in Distress?**

_Three months later…_

Ranma looked down. There was a cute girl stuck to his chest, quivering and shivering and seeking solace in the folds of his shirt… Her short hair so smooth under the touch of his hand… Her small hands around his neck… It would have been totally perfect, every man's dream come true, except—

You had to blame it on his upbringing...

Ranma had lived away from his mother ever since he was six years old. His father had taken him on a training trip around the world, from the pinnacles of Mt. Everest to the deep dungeons of the Grand Canyon; and there was hardly any time to socialize or pick up girls along the way. As such, interactions of the female kind during his teenage years were zero – a deficit that he had set about atoning for the moment he had ditched his father and settled down in Nerima.

Ranma had opened up a dojo, started martial arts classes, and sent out leaflets advertising the "Saotome Self-Defense Course" – highly recommended for young teenage girls. He had grinned his way through the first few days of the classes as the girls – teenage and otherwise – arrived in droves, and had worked his considerable pent-up charm on them. It was too good to be true...

Pretty soon, the girls had figured out that 'Ranma sensei' was much more passionate about the 'pow-wow' than girls, and would cut them no slack. And the 'pow-wow' involved roughened knuckles and broken nails, and an occasional bruise on the jaw – all of which lowered their attractiveness quotient. The _teenage _girls had left in droves, and all that was left were cute little kindergarteners, whose parents wanted them to grow up into strong, independent daughters.

_And_ one such kindergartener with a bruised knee was crying rivers on his shirt…

**...**

**_Back into the Suit_**

He had never felt more uncomfortable in his life, except that one time when he had been captured by the Bakongo tribes of Zaire – they had a weird way of treating prisoners – but that aside, and he didn't know what to do.

Crying girls were not his forte, yet he would have endured it had it been a pretty young teen. There was nothing romantic about a kindergartener clung to your chest. It was actually quite gross, what with the leaking eyes and nose and mouth... _Gross!_ Just as he was thinking about sending the girl to sleep via a quick tap to a pressure point, his phone rang.

'Saved by the bell.' He pried the girl away, sent her an apologizing look (hoping that it didn't look overly cheerful), and walked out of the dojo to take the call.

"Hey Hiro! Wassup!" He nearly sang.

"_Meet me at Lady Margaret's Wedding Bells Shoppe in five minutes. You've got an appointment to keep."_

Thirty minutes later, he was dressed in a suave black suit.

**...**

**_A Perfect Fit_**

He puffed and blew a lock of hair away from his nose. He scratched his neck uncomfortably. He _hated_ suits. They were stuffy, itchy and mandatory at weddings. And he _hated _weddings. Yeah, yeah, the same old bit with the 'pink thing.'

"So, why am I in a suit again?" A grumpy Ranma looked very cute.

Unfortunately, cute would buy him no release; Hiroshi was straight. "Ryoga is getting married. You're his best man."

"And why am I the best man? Why can't you or Dai be the best man?"

This time Daisuke deigned to reply, "Because you've already been fitted out for the suit, it's easier to just let you be."

"Y-you mean to tell me I didn't necessarily _have_ to?"

Both boys cracked identical evil grins. "Nopes! Ryoga just told us to work it out amongst ourselves. We just thought you'd be perfect for it seeing as how you love suits."

There was a brief fist-fight, during which two of Lady Margaret's mannequins broke, and then Ranma emerged hauling a disheveled Daisuke in a suave black suit.

"Congratulations Dai, it fits you perfectly!"

Daisuke paled.

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_*Very obviously ran out of ideas and so made up a filler chapter* _

_... =.=" But at least, you guys got to know more about his background! ^o^_

_*Feels holes burning in the back from glares of unsatisfied readers* Pleasedon'tkillme! ToT_

_Please read and review~ ^o^ (Talk about mood swings... o.o")  
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	4. Who's That Girl?

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the dwarfs... Santa Claus, please give me the rights to Ranma Half~ ^o^  
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_**I'm Getting Married  
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_Fifteen days later…_

Stag nights were fun. Well, yeah… things did get woozy sometimes, and technically, a martial artist should not drink – it interfered with the chi – but, stag nights were fun and even a martial artist ought to have fun _sometimes._

Ranma held his shot glass and peered through its contents, mildly impressed by how golden everything looked when seen through a glass of whiskey. Ryoga twirled on one of the tables and fell down with a thud. Ranma ignored him. Groaning, he hauled himself up and plopped down next to Ranma.

He cupped his hand around his mouth and whispered, "Psst, Ranma, I'm getting married."

Ranma rolled his eyes. "I know."

Ryoga regarded him through beady eyes. "You know, I should thank you. I met her because of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah… I tried to follow you to China remember? I got lost and ended up at her house. It was love at first sight. I was fourteen then. We have been together for ten years now."

"Heh, you owe me something big."

Ryoga sobered up instantly. "Hey, wait! No, I don't owe you anything at all! I got lost all by myself and found her. If I had followed you to China I would not have met her at all!"

Ranma attempted to smirk at his friend's muddle-headedness; that was somewhat hindered by the feeling of wooziness. Idly, he twirled the whiskey around in his glass. "Say, what's her name?"

"You didn't read the invitation?" Outrage.

"Nopes." Shrug.

Pout. Pouting Ryoga was cute. "Akane Tendo."

Ranma downed his shot in a gulp.

**...**

**_Say 'Red' for Love  
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"Akane…" he groaned, his throat tingling from the shot, "Nice name. I like red."

"Yeah." Ryoga mumbled, "But she's _my _Red. Not yours. You can't like _my_ Red."

Ranma tried to process this; his head swam. "I like red," he insisted.

"Nuh-uh, not this one. You've got all those girls in your dojo. Go and like them. This one's mine, I get to keep."

With great effort, Ranma got the gears in his brain to move. Something seemed to be wrong; he and Ryoga seemed to be talking about different things. "Whaddya mean?" He managed at great length.

Ryoga's eyes crossed. "Whaddya mean whaddya mean?" He blinked, he didn't seem to be making sense even to himself. He shook his head and held up a finger and pointed to himself. "Mine. This Red is mine."

Ranma stared beadily at his friend for a while, before plopping his head down and with a muttered "Keh!" he passed out. The last echoes of coherent thought in his head stubbornly whined, _'But I really really like red!'_

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_How was that for a cliffie? *fufufu* LOL, I'm so hell bent about writing a magnificent cliffie... :D_

_I'm on a roll recently! ^o^ I wrote out nearly ten chapters of Meeting a Stranger, and eight more of Nerima Days! ^o^ _

_Now, if only I could make some headway on the story that I'm anticipating the most... ToT I haven't even written a single chapter for that one, except for a tiny prologue, even though the outline of the story is clearer than day in my mind... =.="_

_Anyway, review please! *makes googly eyes* ^o^  
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	5. Third Time's the Charm!

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Everyone! Please turn your backs on me! Thank you. *Draws in a deeeep breath* MINE! ALL MINE! MINE, I TELL YOU! MUAHAHAHA!  
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_Okay, it's safe to turn back around now! ^o^_

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_**Collision Course**_

_Two days later…_

The supermarket was not a nice place to be for a martial artist. Not due to the lack of broad open spaces – a true martial artist could maneuver flawlessly in tiny jam-packed aisles, too – but due to the insane amount of people who gawked and gawped at him every time he went there.

It wasn't his fault that the shelves were piled so insanely high. _Or_ that the stepladder was always in use by some staff member of the supermarket, solicitously fetching things from the top shelves for the sundry customers. _Or _that he liked to get his things with as little delay as possible. So, he would moon-walk-spider-climb himself to the top shelf and be outta there before you could say 'moon-walk-spider-climb.'

If only the people would stop _staring._

Ranma grabbed a carton of cornflakes from the top shelf and vaulted over the rack to the next aisle. A trolley stacked with mineral water bottle packs nosed into the aisle from around the corner.

High-speed man met plastic water bottles.

Water bottles exploded.

The uniformed staff member steering the trolley bashed it into his head.

**...**

**_Oh My! Guess Who?_**

"Owh…" He woke up to a world of pain. Someone seemed to be hollering at him.

"Get up! This is all your fault, you better help me clean it up."

Couldn't they shut up! He was a sick patient over here, needing immediate medical attention!

"Shut up…" He muttered.

"Move, you trolley-wrecker! GET UP!"

"Go away…"

"Haul your lazy self UP!"

"Aaarghh!" He couldn't take it anymore, the pest would _die!_ "SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU STUPID—"

He gawked. He gawped. He gaped. He gazed.

Peeking out from over the neck of the bright orange overalls was a disconcertingly familiar bright-eyed, bright-cheeked, brightly frowning face.

"Good evening, Ranma Saotome. Please pick up that mop and get to work, pronto!"

He could even imagine the _ding _of a school bell punctuating the verdict of the punishment.

**...**

**_Tête__-à-tête_**

And so, they worked. They cleaned. They swept. They fished out the soggy plastic from under the racks, under the cartons, under the trolleys and under the people's feet. They mopped up the water freely flowing everywhere. They wiped down the goods stacked on the shelves that got splashed during the crash.

And as happens with two people working together, they amicably chatted with each other.

...

"Hey, tomboy."

"Don't call me that, _you jerk!_"

...

"Hey… You… You called me Ranma. How did you know my name?"

"You're pretty well-known to the staff here for jumping over shelves like an uncivilized baboon."

...

"That was one mean stunt."

"What?"

"The one with the video."

"Heh? Oh, _that!_ … It was a _trick_ pigtail-boy. Ever heard of Movie Maker?"

"Wha— You mean… You mean you didn't really submit it for the funniest video contest?"

"No, I'm not that mean."

"…" His eye twitched.

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_So, I edited all chapter titles to make them more... colorful! ^o^ _

_All this "Take this" "Take that" business was getting boring.. =.=" It seemed like a bright idea back when I started the fic, but as the number of chapters grew, all the "taking" became tedious... =.="_

_I love the chapter titles for chapters one and two! :D ^o^_

_Review pweeeeeeeeeeeze! ^o^_


	6. Bring it on!

_**Disclaimer:** Yes, I have drugged them, hog-tied them, and kicked them out of the Rumic World and into my story. *nods*_

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_**I Challenge You!**_

Somehow, after that, conversation had flowed like a feather on a breeze and they had talked and talked like childhood friends reuniting after a decade.

"So, you teach self-defense to girls? And what kind of shameless uniform do you make them wear, you pervert?"

Well, okay, not _exactly_ like a feather on a breeze; in fact, it was more like sparring – only, with words this time – and Ranma _loved_ a good spar.

"Why so interested? Planning to join?"

"Hmph! As if! You'd probably lay your hands all over me on the pretext of teaching me! And besides, I have my _own_ dojo! I don't need a_ jerk_ to teach me!"

"You have your own dojo? Wow, I've never heard of it! Must be pretty unfamous!"

She bristled at the slight, like an angry cat. "YOU JERK! _My_ dojo is a hundred percent better than _yours!_ And_,_ you're _horrible_ at grammar… 'Unfamous,' honestly!"

He brushed the insult aside, and focused on the girl before him. She stood there, her fists clenched, her cheeks flushed, her eyes burning with passion. He felt the crackle of her aura lifting the hair on his arms. _She was for real._ His eyes alight with the excitement of a challenge, he demanded, "Oh yeah? _Then, let's have a spar!"_

**...**

_**The Calm Before the Storm**_

Breaths were short, muscles strained. Sweat trickled down in shivering trails. The wind whipped their clothes into disarray and blew dust into their burning eyes. Overhead, the sun inched higher and higher with dizzying steadiness and beat down upon their backs.

They tangled in the middle of a deserted lot, engaged in martial combat. They parted with the suddenness of thunder and touched down on opposite sides of the lot, regarding each other squarely.

His stance was loose, yet sure. His eyes wary, his red Chinese shirt torn where her punch had razored through.

Her bangs fell into her eyes, yet she made no move to jerk them away. Her eyes _blazed._

Seconds ticked by as they waited, and the breeze blew clouds of dust all around them.

And then, they _moved._

**...**

_**The Dance of the Art**_

They clashed in the middle of the lot, _like two swords on a battlefield._ They danced around each other, coiling like wisps of smoke. Blows glanced, bruised, _shattered._

They leaped into the sky, held together in nothingness, taken by a _storm;_ joined and divided by the flaming edge of passion… Their touch was fleeting, fiercely sharp and hard like steel. One breathed in what the other breathed out.

Their eyes locked on each other, gazes blurring in and out of focus. They were tired, yet neither was ready to back down. Like fire to ice, like a blade to a pulse, with the _finality_ of a war-cry, they charged one last time—

And down she fell…

Like a sinned angel…

_Down, down, down… Spiraling into dizzying darkness…_

Till he swooped in and caught her…

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_There's a fight scene in Inheritance Book One - Eragon, where Eragon and Arya (the two main characters) fight. And, oh my God, it's so powerful! Paolini, the author, has portrayed motion in still words like no other that I've read before. The entire depiction is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! *swoons*_

_I have tried to create a similar effect... *sigh* And woefully failed... ToT_

_There's hardly any real fight described here... =.=" I am not good at describing blows... ToT_

_How do you like it? *sniff sniff*  
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	7. Kiss the Girl

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own Ranma 1/2 characters. If you sue me, I'll run away._

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**_While You Were Sleeping_**

He was the first one awake. Rolling over onto his stomach, he lifted himself onto his elbows. He had laid her out next to him in the middle of the still deserted lot. And promptly passed out himself right afterwards.

She was still unconscious, her long lashes brushing over her sweaty cheeks. Her forehead blissfully smooth in the dreamlessness of obliviousness.

She had fought like a fury of the Heavens, matching him all the way to the very end, and almost besting him as well. _Almost._ It had been very close; no one had come that close to matching him in ages, except for Ryoga, maybe. He marveled at the fact that she was so good.

'There you see, Pops. Not all girls are weak.'

Be as it may, it was time for her to get up and go back to the supermarket. Her boss would be expecting her after the 'lunch break.'

He patted her cheek softly and murmured, "Hey, wake up! You have to go back to your work!"

Groaning, she rolled over to her side. Her stomach touched his knee, and instantly, she curled herself around it, and hugged his knee with both arms.

Ranma jumped, suddenly flustered. "Hey! What are you doing? WAKE UP!"

She whimpered and snuggled her face closer to his leg. "Just five more minutes, _oneechan…"_ Momentarily, a tiny frown creased her brow, and a small pout touched her lips. And then, she sighed. _And smiled._

He would have kissed her right then and there.

**...**

**_Heartbreaks...!_**

He _would have_ kissed her right then and there…

_If_ it hadn't been for the fact that she opened her eyes.

He froze, his face inches away from hers.

She peered at him blearily. And frowned. And then, as her brain returned from Lala-land again, her eyes widened at the sight of him hovering over her face.

With a _screech_ of outrage she tore away from his knee. "YOU PERVERT! WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?"

He stumbled back away from her, scrabbling on all fours. "I didn't do nothing! _Who'd wanna do anything to an uncute tomboy?_"

*CRACKK!*

He would be needing Dr. Tofu after _that. _'Damn tomboy!'

"Hmph!" She uncurled her recently-fisted hand and turned and flounced away, leaving a poor martial artist with a broken jaw in the middle of a deserted lot.

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_Highly irritated! HIGHLY IRRITATED! Some IDIOTS just think it is okay to bully the less popular people even though they're right! What freaking meanies!_

_Sorry for the rant, but I feel my temper **blazing!**  
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	8. Best Man Blues

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Fanfic starts here. Ranma said to Soumyee: "I'm ALL yours~" ^o^_

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_**You've Got Snail-Mail**_

_Three days later, on a beautiful Sunday morning…_

*DING DONG DING DONG DINGGGGGGGG!*

Ranma poked one arm out of the covers, smashed his bedside alarm clock into the next world, tucked his arm back inside and promptly went back to sleep.

*DING DONG DING DONG DINGGGGGGGG!*

He froze mid-snore. The alarm was ringing. The _dead_ alarm was ringing… The alarm was _haunting him!_

"YAAAARRRGHHHH!" He leaped out of the bed and stared wildly towards the broken pieces of the said alarm lying innocuously on the floor. "Huh?" Yes, he wasn't very smart in the mornings.

Outside, the postman got fed up, walked up to the side of the house where the bedroom was, picked up a random stone, took aim, and hurled it through the window. Satisfied by the size of the beautiful hole in the window pane, he shoved a brown paper parcel in and walked away. Deliveries to be made, work to be done… Tra~ la~ la~

...

Ranma stared at the devil-of-a-parcel that had broken his window and wondered if he should sue the post office. He'd call up the Ninomiya Law Firm later, maybe. Walking over to the parcel, he tore it open. A bright sheet of white paper with a decidedly _E-V-I-L_ note scrawled on it winked cheekily at him.

_Good morning Ranma! Hope you are well-rested and well-groomed today. Wouldn't want the Maid of Honor to faint at the sight of your eyebags, would we? So, here's your Best Man tux of the day. Don't worry, Dai had it laundered before sending it over. Please don't attempt to reach us till the wedding starts, we would have mysteriously disappeared. Good luck for later today. _

_-Your best friends,_

_Hiroshi and Daisuke_

_P.S. The wedding is at 11:00 today, in St. Gloria's Cathedral. No, it's not 11:00 at night. And no, it's not the one next to the Kiddie Park. It's the one next to the Public Library._

**...**

_**My Happiness!**_

Soft music blew in his ears and pink and white balloons clouded his vision on all sides. Ranma puffed and blew a lock of hair away from his nose. He scratched his neck uncomfortably. He was in a suit; he _hated_ suits. They were stuffy, itchy and mandatory at weddings. And he _hated _weddings. Even if it _was _his best friend Ryoga's. They were so _pink!_ Pink was not a manly color at all! Couldn't Ryoga have selected a more _manly _color? Like black! Or RED!

He frowned as he waited next to Ryoga at the altar. The cathedral was packed with a crowd of chattering guests, all seemingly enjoying the girlishness of the wedding. He couldn't wait for the food! Food was the only high point of weddings, yeah!

Next to him, Ryoga trembled. "Psst, Ranma! I'm getting married! _Married!_ MARRIED!" His voice came as close to a shriek as whispers could, before breaking down into a whine. _"What do I do?"_

*SNAP!*

Ranma's itchy scratchy temper snapped. "WHAT? Are you _complaining_ now? You, who decided to get married in the first place all by yourself? And you think _you_ are having a bad day? _I_ didn't even _want_ to be the Best Man in an _itchy scratchy suit! _And _I_ am forced to stand here in an _itchy scratchy_ suit, _all_ because YOU decided to get married! And if you even _dare_ to back out now _before_ we get to the banquet, Ryoga Hibiki, I warn you, _I shall destroy your happiness!"_

Ryoga gasped, too frightened to be anxious anymore. "My happiness!"

Oh, HORROR!

**...**

**_The Best Man and the Maid of Honor?_**

Venting is very good for your temper. So, of course, Ranma Saotome felt a LOT better now. Having successfully cowed Ryoga into shivers of agony, he stared around good-naturedly. It now occurred to him that it was at one such wedding nearly eight months ago that he had met that piglet-girl. He smiled suddenly. That had been really interesting. In fact, all their meetings till now had been really interesting. Hmm…

Curiously, he wondered if she would be at this wedding as well? After all Nerima was not a very big town. Weddings tended to be publicized and well attended from all corners of the town. Maybe she was here?

He looked around the hall, trying to spot her. Where was she? Ah, wait— _Could it be?_ Yes, why not? It could be, _right?_ Oh no! What if it really was the case? What if the bride was another one of her friends and she was the Maid of Honor? Dimly, he recalled that the Best Man and the Maid of Honor danced together at weddings. Oh no… _Dance?_ No no no no no… He didn't want to make a bigger fool of himself in front of her anymore!

But…

A tingle grew in his belly. If they danced together, wouldn't he be needed to wrap his arms around her? Hold her close and stare into her eyes? Maybe, maybe, even kiss her at the end? Surely, weddings made it mandatory for the Best Man to kiss the Maid of Honor, right?

_Wait, what?_ Anger suddenly boiled in him! Did that mean…? Hey, hey, hold on a second here. Exactly _WHAT_ had she been at the last wedding? It _had_ been her friend's wedding. Had she been the Maid of Honor? _Why, that little—_

He was in the middle of swearing to find out who had been the Best Man back then, so that he could pummel the traitorous guy, when the pianist struck up the Wedding March.

The doors at the end of the church aisle opened. Ranma looked up, and saw _her._

_

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__Next one will be an interesting chapter, I promise you! ^o^_

_The Ninomiya Law firm~ Imagine Hinako sensei sashyaing down the aisles of her law firm in those skimpy clothes... Reminds me of Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels when she infiltrated RedStar! :D  
_

_Give the green button below some love~ ^o^  
_


	9. Her

_**Disclaimer:** I believe I own Ranma, therefore, I am! ^o^ ^o^ *loses head in pink fluffy candyfloss-ey clouds~ ^o^_

_...What? No one sued Jungel for this, why me? *goes to a corner and sulks*_

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_**Akane Tendo**_

_Her_ dress flowed in silken streams of shiny lace, draped around her petite curves _oh-so-softly._ White and pink flowers were tucked into its hem, and a river of pink pearls trailed down from her waist. A single pearl drop adorned her neck, and a sparkling circlet clasped upon her temples. A sheer length of fabric swept down from under the circlet and gently lapped upon her bare shoulders before cascading down her back in waves of chiffon.

In her hands, she held a bunch of white roses. _Say 'white' for happiness._

She wore no veil, her face aglow for all the world to see. Her smile, like a beacon on a tempestuous night shining out to the sea. Her eyes danced, like a pair of sprites on a full moon night. She skipped down the aisle, her tread so light, as though on wings of joy.

She looked... like an angel.

He watched, mesmerized, as the light streamed in from the stained glass windows, encasing her in gold. Understanding struck him with all the gracefulness of a thunderbolt, and belatedly, he realized…

She was Akane Tendo.

**...**

_**Just You and Me**_

She glided, ever so closer and closer, faster and faster – his heart in perfect sync.

She was so close now; he could touch her if he took just one step forward. Should he take that step? But… he couldn't move…

And then, for a single moment, her eyes met his_. Blue eyes locked with brown._

Recognition flitted in those brown eyes, soon followed by surprise. The blue eyes were lost.

In that one moment, it was just him and her. And the world was a distant dream upon the brow of a slumbering God.

The single moment felt like an eternity, and Ranma wondered if Time would remain like this forever.

**...**

_**Beyond all Reason**_

_What is she to me? _

_I've met her thrice. We have parted at odds every time. I never knew her name until now. Then, what is she to me? What do I know about her? What do I feel about her? Why do I feel anything about her at all? _

_I have met several women before. Why is it so different now? I am a martial artist, the very best there can be. I can pace my breath and keep my calm. I can control my chi, I can will it to manipulate my feelings, I can steady my heartbeat. Why is it so difficult now?_

_There is no reason for me to feel anything for her. She's a stranger to me. _

_All I know about her is that she's beautiful. She has a pet pig. She works at the supermarket. Her name is Akane Tendo. She is straightforward. She probably hates me. Her family owns a dojo. She's very good at the Art. She is passionate. She is full of life. She is quick tempered. She is violent. She gives back as good as she gets. She is a tomboy. She can play some mean tricks. She's walking down the aisle right now, and I don't know why, but beyond all reason, I can't look away._

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_

_Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Three cheers for Akane! ^o^ Woot! Woot! Woot! ^o^ ^o^ ^o^_

_Sometimes, I wonder how anyone can NOT like Akane, how anyone can NOT consider her the only true f__iancée__... Well, to each, their own, I suppose... But Akane totally rocks! Yes! Knights of the fair Akane, ahoy! *goes into uber-mushy fangirly mode* A-K-A-N-E! A-K-A-N-E! Three cheers for Akane! ^o^ ^o^ ^o^_

_By the way, that's the kind of dress I would always want to wear at my wedding... Alas! The wedding dresses in my culture are different... ToT No matter, I will deck sweet Akane in the gown of my dreams... ToT _

_I loved writing this chapter~ ^o^ In fact, I almost broke out into a song while writing the paragraph about "She wore no veil..." ^o^ ^o^ In fact, the first two lines of that paragraph rhyme, and the next two were supposed to rhyme, too... But... ToT  
_

_Oh well, in any case, if you love Akane, review~ :D  
_


	10. My Best Friend's Wedding

**_Disclaimer: _**_Well, Ranma may not belong to me, but the Ranma in this story is ALL MINE to do as I please! ^o^_

_Yes, yes, I go to great lengths to console myself... =.="_

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_**My Best Friend's Wedding**_

Ranma watched her, unable to even glance away. She turned her smile upon him. He felt something within him come to a strangled halt at the sight of that smile. He could not smile back.

_She was getting married. To Ryoga. To his best friend._

He felt strangely heavy inside. He wondered if she felt the same as well. He wondered if that smile meant she was happy to see him. He wondered if all this was real. He wondered if _she_ was real. He wondered why such wayward thoughts were invading his brain. He wondered if she would disappear if he tried to touch her. He wondered if he should take that just one step forward and see for himself.

And then, she stepped forward and walked past him, their gaze breaking. Past him, and up to where a man stood at the altar. The man extended his hand and she caught it, and stepped up next to the altar as well.

_She was getting married to Ryoga._

A tremor of some unknown emotion shook his frame as he watched their entwined hands. The priest was saying something now. He could not see her face anymore. Maybe she was smiling. Maybe she was not. A half-twisted smile formed on his own face as he shook his head and looked down.

It was none of his business anyway. After all, she was marrying Ryoga.

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_Hmm... Maybe I should just change it to a Ryoga x Akane fic? *scrunchy eyes* _

_:D Nah~ Ranma x Akane forever! (Despite minor obstacles or other weddings!) ^o^  
_


	11. A Big Hand for Ukyo Kuonji

**_Disclaimer: _**_Oh look! The sun has risen from the left! The water's flowing upstream! o.O Aaaah! A PINK peacock! Uwaaah! A rhinocerous with fur? Oh my chocolaty chocolates! Is that a green-skinned alien in a tutu? My my... What has the world come to? People even find it weird if I say Ranma belongs to me... Tch!_

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_**Enter the Ghost Hand**_

Food seemed to lose its appeal to him for the first time ever since he could remember. He ate, merely because Hiroshi and Daisuke had pulled him into it. Jokes and banters flew left and right and straight over Ranma's head as, on either side of him, his two friends opened their mouths for more than just food.

"Say, that girl who was the Maid of Honor, nice body, ain't it Dai?"

"Heh! Nothing compared to that pianist babe. What do you think are the chances of her giving me her number?"

"What, YOU? Dream on, dream on, Dai m'boy!" Hiroshi depreciatively patted Daisuke's shoulder.

"Hiro, why are you patting _me?_" Ranma's bored monotone brought two pairs of eyes to his shoulder where, indeed, a five-fingered hand patted away happily.

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! GHOST HAND!"

"Tch! Honestly, you three are such idiots!"

All three panicked men turned at the sound of the new and decidedly un-ghost-like voice.

"UKYO!"

"Purrrrfect synchrony, sugars!" She winked.

**...**

_**The Debonair Miss Kuonji**_

The three non-musketeers stared, bug-eyed, at the sight before them.

"Ukyo, what are you wearing?" Daisuke finally asked.

Hiroshi instantly clamped a hand over his mouth, and nose as well – just for the heck of it. "Ehehehehe," he turned to Ukyo and articulated, "what he means, Ukyo, is that, you look very good today!" Discreetly, he turned back to his suffocating friend and muttered, "Dai! You should be more subtle when dealing with nutcases! They are very sensitive to comments!"

Ukyo 'tch'ed at the two idiots, tossed her long ponytail over her shoulder, perched her right hand on her waist, popped her left knee out and posed. "Did you really expect to see me in a dress?"

For, yes, dear ladies and gentlemen, Ukyo Kuonji had come to the wedding in a shiny black tuxedo and bow-tie.

"Your shoes are more polished than mine." Ranma complimented her.

**...**

_**Best Men, All in a Row**_

"Your shoes are more polished than mine."

"Why, thank you. At least, _someone_ makes an effort." Ukyo's eyes critically strayed to Ranma's limp braid and unbuttoned cuffs. "I was appointed to be the substitute-emergency-backup Best Man for Ryoga, seeing as how the real job was in such _very_ capable hands."

Ranma frowned. He had tried his best, and _this_ is what he got after everything? He pouted and very ostentatiously turned his face away, "No one has any faith in me…." He muttered through pursed lips.

Everyone ignored him.

"Who was the _original-_emergency-backup Best Man, then?" Hiroshi put in.

"Mousse. But he wore his pants while not wearing glasses, and they turned out to be inside out and so he had to go back home to change."

* * *

_Whoa, I haven't updated in sooo long! =.=" _

_Ah well, not like anybody missed me anyway... ToT_

_Please please review~ I feel so unloved... ToT  
_


	12. Let it Burn

_**Disclaimer:**__ Give me an R! Give me an A! Give me an N! Give me an M! Give me an A! Give me RANMA! RANMA! RANMA! Or else, I'll steal him! *evil~*_

_*Crazy fangirlie mode on* ^o^_

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_**Penny For Your Thoughts**_

"What's up, Ranchan? You look down."

Ukyo had somehow managed to shoo away Hiroshi and Daisuke, and now she and Ranma stood side-by-side leaning against the picket fence surrounding the lot where the big pink tent was set up.

Ranma scuffed his dirty shoe into the ground, making it even dirtier than before. "I have a few things on my mind, Ucchan."

"Whoa! _A few?_ The pressure on your brain must be awesome!"

Ranma shot a quick glare at her. Ukyo sniggered.

"Fine! If you're going to be like that." Ranma huffed.

"Awww… Come on, Ranchan, I didn't mean that, see?" She really could make huge gooey shiny puppy eyes.

Ranma frowned at her, but could not keep it up for long. He shook his head, and a small smile budded on his lips. "You always get me, Ucchan."

"Don't I now?" She smiled, happy to see him smile. "So… Whatcha thinking about?"

"Ryoga."

"Ryoga? What about him?"

"That pig, he got married."

"Duh."

"…"

**...**

_**Sin**_

Ukyo sighed and shook her head. Goodness alone knew _what_ was eating Ranma. "So what's bothering you _now?_ You've known he was gonna get married for the past one month."

"I…" He couldn't explain. Hadn't he already made peace with himself? That pig-boy was Ryoga, his best friend. That piglet-girl was a stranger, his _no one._ How difficult was it to decide as to who mattered more? How difficult was it to be happy for his best friend compared to being remorseful for a stranger? But, _dammit!_ Why did she have to marry his best friend? And what an irony – the pig-boy marries the piglet-girl.

"Ucchan, I…" Ukyo had always been there for him. Through thick and thin, through rain and sun, through tears – entirely hers, men DON'T cry! – and smiles, she had held his hand. She was the _one_ female he had ever cherished in his life aside from his mother. And she had always been the only one to whom he would turn when his heart begged for solace. And today, his heart did not just beg, it cried out. He needed her. He needed Ukyo, who always understood his pain. He needed Ukyo, who would always be his companion in everything he did. He needed her now more than ever.

"Ucchan, I…" The words traitorously defiled his mouth, "Ucchan, will you come with me? Tonight?"

And she nodded. She always did.

That night, he burned the ties of his friendship in the fires of unforgivable sin.

And yet, much later, when Ukyo was gone and he lay alone in his two room apartment, his heart cold and heavy, he held up his cell phone and replayed that timelessly old video of _that girl_ that he had shot at the fateful wedding nearly eight months ago.

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_Whooo~ It's been ages since I updated…. It's been a crazy long time… ToT In fact, I don't even remember anymore how this story was supposed to go… _

_*Tries to regenerate brain cells* ToT_

_But, maybe if you review, I'll miraculously get over my amnesia! ;) *Ohohohohohoho~* (Patented by Kodachi)_

_Did you like that cliffie? Give me a heart pat on the back! Go clickie the little button! ^o^_


	13. Food for Thought

_**Disclaimer: **__Alright, you can have Ranma! But know this, that his heart shall always belong to me! Hmmpph... *pouts* ToT  
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___I have kind of lost my train of thoughts about where I was going with this story... So, I'm just meandering around for now... :D_

___Also, to **HELLO**, who asked how old the characters are in the story: Ranma, Akane and Ryoga are 24 years old. It's mentioned in chapter 4, that Ryoga met Akane at the age of fourteen, and it's been ten years since then. The rest of the people are as many years younger/older than them as in the manga.  
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_**Food for Thought**_

_Next day…_

The early morning sunshine attacked him with pangs of remorse, closely followed by pangs of hunger. Lack of a proper dinner the previous night, followed by all the… _*ahem!*_ exercise, apparently did NOT do wonders to his stomach.

Over the sizzle of frying eggs, his thoughts wandered back to the said pangs of remorse and he came to an abrupt halt. The eggs burned.

...

Over the sizzle of a _fresh batch_ of frying eggs, his _traitorous_ thoughts once_ again_ wandered back to the _wretched_ pangs of remorse and he scooped up the eggs off the frying pan and onto his toast before he came to an abrupt halt, a breath of heavy regret on his lips.

He should not have done it, no matter how desperate, how _needy_ he felt – it was still wrong. Wrong of him to have even harbored such a thought. Wrong of him to have asked Ukyo, knowing full well she would not refuse. Wrong of him to have shot down his friendship in flames. _How could he have done that?_

As a mouthful of eggs on toast set new gears in motion, a mini-demon materialized on his right shoulder, whispering sweet words of temptation into his ears… _'So what? It's not like anyone is ever going to find out, and Ukyo did not disagree either. There is nothing wrong with what you did! You were emotionally short-circuited! You needed to explode SOMEHOW!'_

Heartened by this sudden encouragement, he popped a bigger bite into his mouth. And, *POP!* went a mini-angel on his left shoulder. _'Scandalous! How highly reproachable! Is this what a friend should have done to another friend? How can you face your friend again, with such a heavy sin weighing down upon your shoulders?'_

Ranma instantly sagged. Yes, it _was_ a heavy burden indeed. Morosely, he chewed off another bite.

'_Shut up, old whitey codger! You are the only thing weighing down his shoulders! There is nothing wrong with letting out pent-up feelings – it's a healthy habit for young men and women.'_

Nodding along with his demon minion made it easier to swallow the next bite. A big smile formed on his face. Of course, he was a healthy young man!

'_Oh shame, oh shame! I have half a mind to—'_

What the mini-angel had half a mind to do, Ranma would never know. Because at that very moment, the mini-demon – fuelled by the recently finished toast and eggs – unleashed a Hiryuu Shouten Ha on the mini-angel, upon which the latter proceeded to shriek in untold agony before withering into dusty motes and blowing out the window. Puff, puff, puff…

Thus, having satisfactorily resolved both the pangs of remorse _and_ hunger, Ranma decided that yes, there was nothing wrong. Ryoga would never find out exactly who was behind the 'crime' and his friendship with the lost boy was still intact (minus the minor issue of the lost boy's wife.) And as for Ukyo, she was bound to have loved the opportunity to pound at things, even if they be small rusty nails.

...

Let it be said that Ryoga Hibiki and his blushing bride had spent their first night of wedded bliss on the stairs of Kuno & Kuno, Carpenters, on account of their home sweet home being mysteriously boarded up with THICK wooden planks barring _every_ door and window and the said bride having turned down her loyal groom's offer to blow them up with a Bakusai Tenketsu, stating – and I quote – "Ryoga, if you attack that rickety old house with a Bakusai Tenketsu, everything _other than_ the door will blow up. Daddy had the door reinforced with titanium as a wedding present. …Yes, I know he's weird."

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_Aha! Gotcha! ^o^ ^o^ I bet lots of you thought he slept with Ukyo, ne? ;) Read the last paragraph again~ :_

_And please mind the double entendres... ;)  
_

_And yes! At last I have finally finally written a TRUE plot twist! PLOT TWIST! Thou art no more insurmountable! Ohohohohoho~ ^o^_

_Don't forget to review! ^o^  
_


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